I Think You're Rare
Loki hadn’t slept. They’d spent most of the night in Tony’s bed, but they did sneak out at one point to go for a smoke. The stars were beautiful, but they always were. They hadn’t anticipated Tony’s garden being quite so beautiful, but it was almost as good as Frigga’s had been. They’d spent hours in the garden back when they were a kid. Frigga had taught them everything - from how to plant a flower to how to care for vegetables. They’d learned everything that they could so that they could have a garden of their own, one that was as good as Frigga’s. Then she died, and the garden went with her. No one there knew how to look after it. They were halfway across the world. When they got back months later, it was already dead. There was no saving it. When they got their own house, they made sure that it didn’t have a garden.
They hadn't talked about what happened when they got back from the fitting. Tony had tried to bring it up, but Loki shut it down. They didn't want to talk about it. They didn't really know what it would change. They knew. They always knew, deep down. Hell, they could see it for what it was when it happened to anyone else, but themself? Maybe they deserved it. After everything they did, the people they hurt, maybe they deserved it. Tony would argue against that, they were sure. It was partially the reason they didn't want to talk about it. They didn't need to hear how wrong it was, how they didn't deserve it, how they were so strong. They weren't. They were a coward. They did everything that Odin told them to because they wanted his approval, and they never got it. They did everything En Dwi wanted them to, and they still got tossed aside the moment they were an inconvenience. They did whatever Fandral wanted because they wanted to be loved, and he still found someone better. Tony would see it eventually, that they were just a coward who didn't deserve him. God, he deserved the world, and Loki would never be good enough. He just hadn't seen it yet.
They made their way back into Tony’s bed just in time for the sun to rise. Tony slept through it. Of course he did. He slept through everything. The fact he was sleeping despite the fact that they were going to the Met Gala in just a couple hours was beyond Loki. They didn’t know how he could do it. It was their chance to re-solidify themself as a worthy model, despite all the hiccups, that they were a force to be reckoned with. Hell, it was a make or break. If they did badly then it was all over for them. For Tony, it was just an inconvenient way to spend a night. It was almost like a breath of fresh air. How little Tony knew or understood about their work. The biggest deal to them was barely an inconvenience to Tony.
“Wanna stay in bed all day? Maybe watch a movie?” Tony asked, his voice thick with sleep. His eyes were still closed. Loki had never understood how Tony wasn’t a morning person, but it was all a part of his charm.
“We’ve got a couple of hours before we need to leave,” they said.
He groaned. “Why do we need six hours to get ready? Fuck that.”
“Because some of us need all the help they can get to look good enough to go.”
“Like fuck you do- you literally look good and you’ve just woken up.” He looked at them. “Did you sleep?”
They raised a brow. “Why do you ask?”
“Your hair isn’t fluffy like it normally is after you’ve woken up.” He sat up. “What’s wrong?”
They sighed as they flopped their head back onto the pillow. “It’s a big day. That’s all.”
“Loki, it’s going to be okay.” He grabbed their hand. “You’re going to do amazing. You’re going to be the most beautiful person on that red carpet.”
“It’s not that.” Well, it was partially. “I met Carol Danvers at the Gala.”
He paused. “The model?”
“Yeah.” They nodded. “She’s starting an agency. Offered to sign me, or just have me involved in some way.”
“That’s really good.” He gave their hand a gentle squeeze. “What’re you going to do?”
They shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve got a meeting with Mobius on Wednesday.”
“What about?” He asked.
“I don’t know. He hasn’t told me,” they replied. “He doesn’t normally call meetings like that without telling me what it’s about.”
He was quiet for a moment. “What would happen if you took Carol up? To sign with her?”
“En Dwi would ruin my career. He’d see it as a personal attack and he’d retaliate. He hates Carol, so until he’s off my back I can’t do much.” They sighed. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Lokes, I trust you, but I worry about you at the same time,” he said. “I just want you to be okay.”
“I will be.” They smiled a little. “I’ll be okay.”
Tony held onto them a little tighter. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” they replied. “However I really need to move. I need to get ready.”
“You literally look like a god. You could go there now and still be the best looking person there.” He huffed. “You’re literally beautiful. You don’t need that long to get ready.”
They chuckled quietly. “I really do.”
He groaned. “You’re impossible, you know that, right?”
“Well, maybe we could carry this argument on in the bath?” They asked. It was laughable how fast Tony got out of bed at that. They pulled themself out of bed and followed Tony out to the bathroom, letting him run the bath while they waited on the counter.
Loki didn’t think that they deserved Tony’s forgiveness, and they weren’t completely sure if they had it yet, but they were grateful that they were getting another chance. They didn’t deserve it, not at all, but that didn’t mean that they weren’t going to make the most of it. They were going to be the best partner to Tony, and they weren’t going to hurt him again.
————
It was very, very easy to tell that Tony hated everything about the situation they were in. He hated getting his makeup done. He normally just did eyeliner and he did it himself, but he didn’t sit still in the seat he was in while getting his makeup done and he complained about the feeling of the makeup every two seconds. Then there were the complaints about his hair. Yeah, Tony wasn’t having a good time and Loki was trying their best to not find it funny.
Loki sat perfectly still while their hair and makeup were worked on. It was what they were used to, after all. It was sort of nice to just sit back and let it all happen again, after so long of doing everything themself. The one downside to not getting their own hair and makeup team after leaving En Dwi, they thought. Sure, they still had it done for shoots and walks, but that was it. Then again, it was nice to have the freedom to do what they wanted.
They got into their outfit which had been amended perfectly since the last fitting. The shirt clung to their skin, the lace creating a delicate illusion despite the harsh lines of the makeup. Tony’s had been done minimalistic with some smudged eyeliner, whereas theirs was more obvious, with a black and red smoky eye with black graphic liner, harsh lines detailing their eyes in an asymmetric way. The corset wasn’t too tight, it was just enough to create a silhouette that was accentuated with the wide legged trousers. The train made the outfit though. The black lace lined with red tartan, the same red tartan on Tony’s jacket. It reached the floor and fell back a couple feet. It was beyond dramatic and they loved it. The chains attached to its belt were a little noisy, but they didn’t care. They felt amazing. Like they were powerful for the first time in a while.
“Holy fucking shit.”
They turned away from the mirror to look at Tony, who’s gaze was firmly on them. His eyes were wide and his jaw almost on the floor. His black shirt unbuttoned to just above his trousers, showing his chest and a little tease of his tattoos there. His trousers resembled cargos, with chains of varying lengths looping down by his legs. The plaid jacket provided colour to his outfit, like the pattern did on Loki’s, and it laced his boots as well. God, he looked fantastic. He always did, but it was something else. He got his way with the badges and patches that lined his jacket as well, with Loki having matching ones on the train of their outfit.
They walked over to him and wrapped their arms around his waist. “You look amazing, darling.”
He raised a brow. “Says the literal model. Holy shit.”
“Let me compliment you.” They pouted. “You look beautiful. Handsome. Ravishing. Stunning.”
Tony’s face flushed bright red. “Fuck off.”
“You do, though.” They smiled a little. “You look beautiful, Tony.”
Tony huffed. “You’re a little shit.”
They pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. “Probably.”
“Car’s outside,” one of the men in suits said. Loki didn’t know who he was, him and a few others just came in every now and then to check on timings.
Loki took Tony’s hand and followed him out to the car. The drive wasn’t long, only around the corner, but Tony was shaking more and more as they got closer. Considering how little he seemed to care about it before, the nerves were certainly obvious. How could Loki have not noticed it? They were so concerned about themself that they hadn’t noticed that Tony was actually scared.
“You’re going to do great,” they said. “Once we’re out there, it’s basically just a photoshoot until we get inside. Once we’re inside, there’s no phones, no photos. It’s just a couple performances and a meal. This part’s the worst, but I’ll be here the entire time. I’ll be with you.”
Tony chuckled quietly. “I should be the one comforting you. This is huge for you.”
They shook their head. “I’ve done things like this hundreds of times. I’ll be fine.”
He took a deep breath. “It’s just like a photoshoot. I’ll be fine.”
They helped him out of the car, which he grumbled about under his breath, but they didn’t take much notice. Once they were on the carpet, their names were called over and over again by different photographers, and it was almost deafening. They didn’t let go of Tony’s hand the entire time and kept an eye on him just in case, but he fell into it like a natural. The way he stared at the cameras, giving them nothing but everything at the same time, the way he held himself so confidently and in a way he knew worked for the cameras. It took everything in them to not smile in pride.
Then Tony looked at them, and they couldn’t help the smile they grew on their face. He smiled back. “What?” He asked.
“I don’t know what I did right in my life to have you next to me. To be with you,” they said quietly.
He snorted and gently pushed their shoulder. “Fucking sap.”
They rolled their eyes with a smile before they turned back to the cameras, their smile dropping and the usual photoshoot facade went up. Through it all, Tony was by their side. They weren’t alone, and that meant so much more than Tony could ever understand.